Additionally, the following patents, patent applications and publications are incorporated herein by reference:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,559,549, issued Sep. 24, 1996 to Hendricks et al.,
U.S. Pat. No. 5,600,573, issued on Feb. 4, 1997 to Hendricks et al.,
U.S. pending patent application Ser. No. 08/352,205, filed Dec. 2, 1994, entitled NETWORK MANAGER FOR CABLE TELEVISION SYSTEM HEADENDS, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,201,536, U.S. Pat. No. 5,185,667, issued Feb. 9, 1993 to Zimmerman,
U.S. Pat. No. 5,313,306, issued May 17, 1994 to Kuban et al.,
U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,363, issued Oct. 25, 1994 to Kuban et al.,
U.S. Pat. No. 5,384,588, issued Jan. 24, 1995 to Martin et al.,
U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,940, issued Feb. 6, 1996 to Richardson et al.,
PCT Publication No. WO 96/07269, published Mar. 7, 1996 by Jambhekar et al.,
PCT Publication No. WO 96/08105, published Mar. 14, 1996 by Labun,
PCT Publication No. WO 96/18262, published Jun. 13, 1996 by Richardson et al.,
PCT Publication No. WO 96/21173, published Jul. 11, 1996 by Harris et al., and
PCT Publication No. WO 96/21205, published Jul. 11, 1996 by Harris et al.
This invention relates to the distribution of audiovisual signals through communications networks such as computer networks and servers. The invention has particular use with respect to global networks such as the internet and xe2x80x9cWorld Wide Webxe2x80x9d. The invention also relates to education. Particularly, the invention provides an alternative to in-person classroom instruction.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the fields of education, audiovisual systems, communications systems and computer networks.
Individuals from around the world exchange ideas and information with each other in order to learn more about other people, cultures, and the environment in which we live. Video and audio signals are commonly transmitted over broadcast communications media to provide viewers with news and entertainment. Computer networks are used for the remote exchange of data and other information. Broadly speaking, these systems are attempts to communicate useful knowledge between geographically separate individuals and institutions. The invention generally relates to improvements in the transmission of information between remote locations.
2. Description of Related Art
There is a constant desire to improve education and knowledge at all levels. It is thought that true human progress can only be achieved if people""s understanding of each other is improved and if people""s understanding of nature and the environment is improved. Traditionally, education and knowledge have been obtained in schools from classroom instruction and from the reading of books.
The disadvantage of current classroom instructional systems is that students must be physically present in the classroom to participate in the educational process. Therefore, students who are geographically displaced from the location of the classroom often cannot attend class instruction as often or as timely as students who are nearby to the classroom.
The disadvantage of textbooks is that they are often not kept current with recent events or technological changes. Textbooks are usually only updated on a yearly or less frequent basis, while important changes may occur monthly or more frequently. Also, to save funds, schools may not purchase new textbooks even though the textbooks have been updated. Therefore, the new knowledge, although available, is not communicated to students.
Recently, audiovisual presentations have begun to be used in the field of education. These systems may provide playback of a recording of a lecturer who provides a presentation on an educational topic. For example, students may learn about math from watching a videotape or television broadcast of a math professor""s lecture. Education can also occur on a more informal basis. For example, specialty channels in the United States such as the Discovery Channel(copyright) and The Learning Channel(copyright) (headquartered in Bethesda, Md., U.S.A.) broadcast educational programming which both entertains and educates a diverse viewership.
The disadvantage of these audiovisual systems is that they are not interactive. Students are unable to ask questions, and the lecturer is unable to tailor the presentation of material to the specific needs of the current student audience. Consequently, the needs of the students are not met.
Cable and broadcast television are commonly known media which supply information to large numbers of viewers equipped with receivers known as xe2x80x9ctelevision sets.xe2x80x9d By receiving a broadcast, cablecast or satellite signal, users are able to view scenes from remote locations and observe newsworthy events which occur far from the user""s location. However, conventional television is a one-way media in which users cannot communicate with each other or the broadcaster.
Recently, the advent of the xe2x80x9cinternet,xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cWorld Wide Web,xe2x80x9d in conjunction with the proliferation of personal computers, has allowed people to exchange information and ideas on a global and inexpensive basis. Generally speaking, the internet is a large computer network which connects xe2x80x9chostxe2x80x9d computers. Users with a computer, modem and telephone line commonly call via telephone to connect with a xe2x80x9chost.xe2x80x9d The xe2x80x9chost,xe2x80x9d being in communication with other hosts (connected to other users) is able to transfer information between users. The internet is used, for example, to transfer, data files, still images, sounds and messages between virtually any two points in the world with telephone access.
The use of the internet has increased dramatically since 1981, when approximately 300 host computers were linked together. It has been estimated that in 1989, the number of linked host computers was fewer than 90,000; but by 1993, over a million host computers were connected. Currently over 9.4 million host computers are linked (not including the personal computers people use to access these hosts via modems) and as many as 40 million people around the world may have access to the internet medium. This number is expected to grow to 200 million by the year 1999.
Users on the internet are able to transfer text, graphics, and still pictures between remote locations. Other types of information which can be transmitted include files containing prerecorded sequences of images. To view these images, users download a large data file, and after running appropriate software, see a sequence of images on the computer screen. These images are not provided in real time, and are not viewable while the user is accessing the internet.
Therefore, even though the internet is a two-way communication medium, it is not currently being utilized to provide video information and audiovisual presentations. This is a disadvantage, in that a large number of people have been accustomed to television audiovisual presentations, and prefer an audio-video presentation to a textual or graphical presentation.
What is needed is a medium of communication that is interactive and which carries audio, video, text, and graphics.
What is needed is an educational system which is user friendly and entertaining.
What is needed is to improve the internet such that users can access many audiovisual programs.
What is needed is to provide users with live video from remote sites.
What is needed is a remote video system with increased realism and accuracy, such that users feel as though they were actually present at the remote location.
In accordance with the present invention, video is collected at a remote site. (The term xe2x80x9cvideoxe2x80x9d, as used herein, includes stereophonic or monophonic audio signals which may accompany a video signal. Additionally, xe2x80x9cvideoxe2x80x9d is used broadly herein to include still images, groups of related still images, animation, graphics, pictures, or other visual data.) The remote video information may be obtained from a video cassette, CD ROMs, television channels, one or more video cameras, or other well known sources. If video cameras are used, they may be connected to a computer so that they are remotely controllable, or they may be oriented such that a perception of control can be created for users. The video may relate to remote sites of interest, such as a pyramid in Egypt, or the images may relate to an educational lecture being conducted at a remote site.
The collected video is transferred to a web site, either in compressed or uncompressed form. The video may be physically transported or may be transmitted through a communications medium to the web site.
The web site contains a storage media which may store some or all of the video. Additionally, the web site passes camera control commands, if applicable, to the remotely controlled cameras or may simulate the remote control of a camera. The main function of the web site is to pass video to a plurality of users, through a communication media such as the internet, in response to user selections. The video passed to the plurality of users may be live video being fed to the web site, or may be stored video. A number of video servers are used to output the video to the users through the communications media, such as the internet. The video may be tailored by the web site for the particular user""s hardware, including data communication equipment, or memory size, etc . . . , i.e. the data rate matches the highest speed which the user""s equipment can handle.
Users receive and display the video sent from the web site. Many simultaneous video pictures may be received. Of course, the quality and frame rate of the video is dependent on the user""s communications hardware. Users with high-speed modems or cable modems receive higher quality video. The users are able to send commands and/or queries to the web site. The commands and queries are forwarded to remote locations to control remote cameras or query remotely located instructors. Alternatively, the commands cause the web site to change from among many video signals with different camera angles or locations (or to transmit a different portion of a wide angle image), causing the user to have a perception of remote camera control. The user""s commands may also cause a different portion of a received wide angle image to be displayed, giving the user a perception of camera control.
In addition to video, the web site provides information, such as graphics and text, which is related to the video. This information may be automatically supplied, or provided upon user request. Therefore, the user is provided with a comprehensive set of information concerning remote sites, enabling the user to be quickly educated about the remote site of interest.